A Bit of a Shock

Touch is a powerful tool. Especially in romance novels, we all wait with bated breath for the first time the hero and heroine accidentally bump into each other, the first time their hands meet, the first time they kiss. When written well, the descriptions of these events leave us slightly breathless, our heart rate up, and longing for more.

Unfortunately, in quite a few books I’ve read lately, some of the descriptions go something like this:

He took the pen from her hand, his fingers brushing ever so slightly against hers. An electric shock ran the length of her arm.

Or

As he pressed his lips against hers, electricity zinged all through her body.

Know what that makes me think of?

All I can think of when I read about electricity zipping through a body is how we sometimes shock each other a bit when we try to kiss in the middle of winter. All that dry air leads to static and ZAP! Not a pleasant experience. But in my real-life experience, that’s the only time I can think of when it actually felt like electricity was running through my body.

I much prefer authors who use phrases like “the briefest glance from him had the butterflies in her stomach holding a dance party.” I like to focus on what I can remember from when my husband and I were dating–and sometimes even now.

She had to work extra hard to draw a full breath. The air had grown thicker with the emotions running between them.

Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips pressed to hers, their quick breaths mingling. His hand circled her waist and pulled her closer, sending a shiver through her belly.

And you know the best part? If you can’t think of exactly how your body reacts when you are touched or kissed by someone you’re attracted to, it means you need more practice! I know my husband won’t complain about that. How about yours?

Have you ever been reading and had a description, romantic or otherwise, pull you from the story because it made you picture something the author had no intention of saying?

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Amy R Anguish, author of An Unexpected Legacy, grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Look for her next book, Faith & Hope, out April 16, 2019!

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor